SENIOR SYNTHESIS PROJECT

CHAMPION CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

INTRODUCTION: All seniors at Champion Christian School are given the responsibility to provide the capstone of their Christian education an opportunity to interface with a world issue from a Christian perspective that is based on research world view articulation. This project is designed to organize their Christian thought, to define contemporary issues in the world around them and to cultivate their ability to synthesize Christian thought secular thought in public and private opinion into viewpoints that articulate a multi fasted intelligent and well documented approach to life around them. This project is required and must be met as part of the graduation requirements at Champion Christian School

Description: The project is designed to be worked on with a faculty advisor who will guide and direct the student as they develop their topic and do their research and provide the synthesis modulation of the research and ideas into a format that is most appropriate to be presented.

The assignment is broken down into definable steps with due dates done throughout the course of the year with responsibility of the assignment on the students and the faculty advisor providing ideas, stimulations, structure and direction in the context of that process. The project will commutate in an oral presentation with appropriate resource documentation at the end of the students academic career in front of panel of faculty and invited guests. Students will be asked to present contemporary research that identifies factual information, public opinion, divergent opinion, Christian thought based on Christian world view philosophy , biblical integration and political sensitivity that represents a contemporary world view outlook. These topics will be synthesized in an appropriate manner that presents a wide range of discussion and information and distinctly Christian world view upon that information. Note that it is important that part of the topic requirements are that the information must be controversial so the goal will not be for student to provide “an answer” but to show that they understand a variety of issues that are affected and a variety of contemporary Christian issues that come into play. The representation of their personal thought process on this matter is just part of the process not the end of the process.

Breakdown: Step 1 Topic Assignment

Students will have the month of September and October to define their topic, this can be done with a faculty advisor support but must be based upon the following conditions

1. The topic must be revelant in a global context

2. The topic must have divergent public, private and Christian opinion that is documented.

3. The topic must be researchable in a public mainstream media through internet, periodicals and newspaper.

4. The topic must be controversial

5. The topic must be relatively new in the sense that public opinion is not polarized or Christian thought polarized. For example: Abortion in itself would not be definable enough topic. The topic would be have to be referent to contemporary issue that is happening in pro life or abortion movement.

6. The topic must be one that the student does not have a preconceive option that is hard and fast formed upon.

Research: During the month of November and December , students will be required to produce research in the form of newspaper, articles, periodicals and internet research that relates and contains information about any of the above described dimension of their topic

Students may only change their topic within the first 2 weeks of this research period and that will only be allowed based on the fact that research has determined something that perhibitats the student from being able to complete the assignment based on a personal perspective.

Research must be collected in a portfolio and submitted to their advisor. We are requiring 10 sources from each level of resource. For example 10 articles from newspapers, 10 articles from periodicals, 10 articles from internet about this topic.

Students must have read the documentation

The Third step of the process is the core outline. The core outline will be

developed in conjunction with the faculty advisor and will address the following issues based on the research that students have done to date

1. Definition of the Synthesis Topic- Student will be required at this point to identify specifically the issue they are addressing.

2. Introductory Paragraph would be a description of this topic and clear definition of the issues that surround this topic. This will define the frame work that the rest of the research will be done.

3. Perspectives on Christian Thought to be addressed- In this section the student will identify several areas where they think their topic relates specifically to issues that are biblical and related to Christian thought. There needs to be several areas that identify at this point

Public/Private thought- In this section students will identify major themes of public and private thought about their topic. These do not need to be defendable but need to be done in a manner globally identifies. This aspect of the project will be done during the month of January.

At the completion of this outline the faculty advisor will prepare a final steps research and presentation plan with the student. In this process the student will identify a method of presentation that they think will best suite their topic.

The focus of the presentation will be an outline of the issues

A presentation of the research and articulation of public and private opinion

In this process the personal research will be identified. The faculty member will direct the type of personal research to be done and it will be systematic and should include faculty members opinion, pastoral opinion, and regional leader opinion that represents business and other identified areas by the faculty advisor. This step will include interviewing either by email, phone or personal meeting 10 people and will include the presentation of the issues as seen by the student and request the opinion and foundation for that opinion from the interviewee.

Synthesis of Research - This will include 1 page minimum of the findings documented by the students of public, private opinion

Final Presentation- Student will spend the month of mid -February to mid April working with the faculty advisor to prepare their presentation. The focus will not be on meeting requirements or presentation media but may utilize all those topics.

An oral presentation that will be 10 minutes in length minimum and 15 minutes maximum, with a period of question and answer will be the final venue for the presentation.